MJ Tumbridge will turn her sights away from the glitter of last Thursday night's triumphant Female Athlete of the Year award win to focus on her next goal -- the Sydney Olympics.

Equestrienne Tumbridge, who won Bermuda's top sporting award following her gold medal success in the three-day event at the Pan-Am Games in Winnipeg last year, plans to return to Europe in order to qualify a second horse for the Games, which start in September.

The rider, the first Bermudian to win gold at the Pan-Am Games, said it was important to have a back-up animal in case of any injury to her mare, Bermuda's Gold.

"I'll be doing different events in France and in Ireland to qualify my second horse for Sydney,'' she said. "His name is Tunes of Glory and he's a grey stallion. So I've got the mare and I've got the stallion.

"It is a great thing to be able to qualify a second horse, so if anything was to happen to Bermuda's Gold -- and obviously we hope nothing does -- I've got another horse to ride.'' Tumbridge, forced to further her career in the US and Britain, rose from relative obscurity in her native Bermuda to become one of the Island's sporting heroines with her victory in Winnipeg.

But she told The Royal Gazette that she had never been tempted to ride for either of those other countries and felt more Bermudian than ever following Thursday night's honour.

"People do sit up and take notice when you achieve something for a smaller nation,'' she said. "Sydney is my next big aim and I'd be very proud to go to Sydney and carry that Bermuda flag again.'' Meanwhile, another award winner, Dennis Wainwright, a former Bermuda wicketkeeper and goalkeeper and now president of the Bermuda Bodybuilding Federation, spoke of his pride at being able to secure the CAC Bodybuilding championships for the Island.

"It's a great achievement and something that a lot of countries were competing for,'' he said after the awards ceremony.

Wainwright, who has served as both athlete and administrator in his three sports was asked how he found the time to do so much.

"My life has been sports, so I just find time,'' he responded. "Sport has been good to me.''